Prevent Garden Tomato Blossom End Rot with Epsom Salt

Tomatoes are one of the favorite vegetables home gardeners grow. The satisfaction of planting and watching the fast growing tomato plants produce their red or yellow fruits can only be rivaled by the taste of a home grown tomato.

There are several issues that a gardener has to be vigilant about regarding growing healthy tomato plants, and one of those is blossom end rot, which strikes just prior to the maturation of the tomatoes. Quite a disappointment for the gardener who has tended the tomato plants for weeks and greatly anticipated eating the fruits of his labor. Blossom end rot can be prevented, even stopped after it has already begun to attack a tomato plant, with several applications of Epsom salt.

What Causes Blossom End Rot

Blossom end rot is caused by a lack of calcium in the garden soil. The calcium deficient soil is just not able to bring the tomatoes to the ripe stage before the fruit rots. Blossom end rot starts out as a small dark circle on the tomato’s blossom end and will spread through the green or partially ripe tomato.

Prevent Blossom End Rot

To prevent blossom end rot, work Epsom salt into the garden soil before planting tomatoes. Apply one pound of Epsom salt to the standard sized raised bed garden (four feet by six-eight feet) or one cup of Epsom salt per container that tomatoes will be grown in and work into the soil well with a spade or tiller. The Epsom salt will then be a readily available source of calcium and magnesium for the tomato plant.

Epsom salt also promotes root growth and development for all garden vegetables and flowers and should be worked into the soil along with organic matter at the beginning of spring. A side dressing of Epsom salt or watering gardening vegetables with a mixture of ½ cup of Epsom salt dissolved in one gallon of water a couple of times during the growing season will keep plants healthy and growing vigorously. When applying dry Epsom salt as a side dressing, be careful not to allow the Epsom salt to touch any part of the plant.

Stopping Blossom End Rot Once It Starts

If blossom end rot strikes tomato plants, it can be stopped and the plant can go on to produce healthy tomatoes. At the first sign of blossom end rot, remove all affected tomatoes from the plant and discard. Begin watering the tomato plant with an Epsom salt mixture once per week. Dissolve ½ cup of Epsom salt into a gallon of water and slowly pour the entire gallon around the base of the tomato plant. The Epsom salt mixture will go directly to the plant roots and be absorbed by the plant and stop future developing tomatoes from being afflicted by blossom end rot.

Tomato blossom end rot can be prevented or stopped after it has begun with an application of good old Epsom salt.